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Hunter coughed, choking on her own spit. At least I wasn’t drinking coffee. “Right, ahem, moving on.” She heard Rebecca snicker and rolled her eyes. “Your labs look good. Your CBC shows you’re slightly anemic, but we can help that by eating iron-rich food. Spinach, red meat, shellfish…”

“Hunter?” Rebecca interrupted.

“Hmm?”

“You said everything looked great. Normal boobs, normal vagina, good labs. But I know you. I know your tics. What are you not telling me?”

Hunter sighed. This is why they tell you not to treat your friends or family. They know you too well. And it was incredibly difficult to tell them bad news.

“You could have let me keep going, Becca.” Hunter reached over to the coffee table and picked up her tablet. “There was something on your MRI that concerned me.”

“A scar?” Rebecca asked softly, feeling a bit vulnerable and scared now. Part of her wished Cassidy was here. A huge part of her. She couldn’t understand the apprehension on Hunter’s face. “You were prepared for that, right?”

“I was, yes. But this isn’t a scar, Becca. It’s a tumor. Now, I know this sounds scary, but …”

Rebecca saw Hunter’s lips moving but couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. Tumor. A brain tumor. “C-cancer?”

Hunter shook her head. “I’m not saying it’s cancer, Becca. In fact, a large percentage of brain tumors are benign.”

“How can you find out? When? Can you do it now?”

“Slow down, Rebecca. Do you want me to call Cass? We can discuss…”

“No. I don’t want to worry her unless there’s something significant…”

“Rebecca, this is significant. Benign or not, a brain tumor is serious. We need to get you with a neurosurgeon to discuss options. And, Rebecca, you need Cass there with you. Hell, she should be with you now.” Hunter took Rebecca’s hand in hers. “I’m one of your best friends, but even I know I’m not enough to give you the strength you need. Cass is.”

“I don’t know how to tell her this, Hunter.”

“Then I’ll help you. Look, Becca, I can’t tell you what to do, but I can ask you this. What would you do if Cass was in your position and she decided not to tell you? Would you want to punish her?”

“That’s low, Hunter.”

Hunter shrugged. “I’m here as your doctor and your friend, Rebecca. One thing you know is I will always be real with you. And I’m being real with you now when I tell you you need Cass with you through this.”

Rebecca inhaled deeply, blowing anxious air out slowly and methodically. “Fine. I’ll tell her tonight. What are my next steps?”

“Talking to your wife is your next step. I’ll get referrals…”

“No, I don’t want referrals, Hunter. I want an appointment with the person you trust the most. Please make it as soon as possible because I don’t want this looming over Cassidy and me. I suppose it’s futile to ask you not to tell Ellie?”

“I won’t —can’t— if you don’t want me to. Again, I’ll use the ‘what would you do’ scenario. Would you have wanted us not to tell you when Ellie had her accident? Or for Lainey not to tell you when all that shit was happening with Eve?”

“You really play dirty for a ‘best friend,’ Hunter.”

“I just don’t want you to go through this alone when you don’t have to, Becca. You have a family.”

“Oh, god.” Rebecca buried her face in her hands. “I have to tell Aunt Wills.”

Hunter wrapped her arm around Rebecca’s shoulders. “We’re going to think positive, okay? Listen, more than seventy percent of brain tumors are benign. Keep that in mind when you’re telling Cass and Aunt Wills. I’ll make some calls and set up a consult for you.” She stood and held a hand out to Rebecca, helping her up.

“Can you at least give me some insight into what I have to look forward to?”

“I’m not a neurosurgeon, Becca.” Hunter sighed again when Rebecca just stared at her. “You’ll discuss options with your surgeon when they have a better idea of what we’re looking at. But they could include a biopsy and/or surgery.”

“How much of my hair will I lose?” Rebecca rolled her eyes. “I’m aware that I sound extremely vain right now.”

“Not at all. It’s a genuine concern for a lot of patients, Rebecca. And the surgeon I’m thinking of has done many hair-sparing surgeries for patients who needed the extra mile to help with the emotional side of all this.”